Source : ABC NEWS
Australia’s sole ski cross athlete at the 2026 Winter Olympics Kyra Wheatley has a need for speed, and the chaos of cross is the perfect outlet for her exuberance.
The 22-year-old will step onto the Livigno Snow Park course on Friday — weather permitting — for her first appearance in a Winter Olympic Games.
As is the case with the snowboard cross, where Josie Baff crushed her opposition to win a superb gold medal, ski cross can be extraordinarily chaotic.
But that’s exactly what Wheatley likes about it.
“Ski cross is a bit special,” Wheatley said.
“It’s a mix of speed and jumping and people next to you — it’s quite chaotic.
“I grew up doing alpine and moguls but I realised I love the speed, but I also love jumping, so ski cross is kind of perfect for that.”
Ski cross can be a risky venture. (Getty Images: Matthias Hangst)
Wheatley actually finished third at the national championships in both the slalom and giant slalom as recently as 2019 at Perisher, so was a genuine talent to keep an eye on in the alpine disciplines.
However, the allure of the circuit racing took over, with the variety and challenge of shoulder-to-shoulder racing too great to ignore.
“It’s great that every single course is completely different, even when there’s different athletes next to you, because other athletes have different personality types and skiing types,” Wheatley said.
“So every time you get on a course with new athletes, it’s a completely different line and different course and race that you’re racing.
“It’s amazing. The faster it is the better … and the bigger the jumps.
“The higher the heart rate, the more fun it is, honestly.”
Crashes are not guaranteed, but they do happen. (Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
Wheatley went even further, saying it was the opportunity for carnage that really got her going.
“Absolutely,” she said with the same delightful relish that any racer needs to hold their own against their rivals.
“I guess that’s the whole fun of it.
“The more dangerous it is, the more thrill you get.“
Of course, this is not necessarily the sort of news that Wheatley’s parents would want to hear, as they watch her compete in Europe for one of the first times since she came 13th in the Winter Olympic Youth Games in 2020.
Kyra Wheatley competed at the Winter Olympic Youth Games in 2020. (Getty Images: Matthias Hangst)
“I’ve heard that they get pretty nervous whenever it’s race days or training days,” Wheatley said.
“Some of them are really big jumps and you never know when you’re going to get injured, which is part of the sport.
“But you know, I try to not think about that stuff and tell the family at the end of the day that I’m all good, I’ll go again tomorrow.”
Wheatley knows all about injuries, after a knee issue ruled her out of the 2025 World Championships at Engadin not long after making her FIS World Cup debut in Val di Fassa in February last year.
A year on, she’s back in Italy, this time at the Winter Olympic Games.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was as little as I can remember,” Wheatley said, a tear pricking at the corner of her eye.
“My family were telling me yesterday, since I was like 10 years old I’ve always been saying, ‘I’m going to go to the Olympics’.
“And to be here now is just a dream come true, literally it’s been my biggest dream.”
There is little doubt that ski cross, much like its snowboarding cousin, is a brilliant mix of no-holds-barred racing and a visually spectacular product, as four skiers race around a circuit at high speed and in close contact, with skis, pole and limbs creating a chaotic jumble that can make it hard to differentiate one athlete from another.
Shoulder-to-shoulder racing is the ultimate adrenaline rush. (Getty Images: David Ramos)
“I know it’s quite chaotic, [but] it’s kind of a bit more scary on video,” Wheatley explained.
“I feel like looking back at all the videos and TV, it puts it a bit more chaotic and carnage-y.
“When you’re on the course, it’s like they’re really close to you, but unless they’re touching you it doesn’t really affect you too much.
“You just have to change up your line if someone decides to go in front of you or something.
“But no, it’s a lot more chaotic to watch.”
The potential for crazy occurrences means that everyone is a reasonable chance of pulling off an upset — including Wheatley, who is ranked 31st in the FIS rankings this season with a best World Cup performance of 27th.
And with Baff’s stunning gold fresh in the memory, Wheatley has plenty of incentive, and some top tips, to emulate her friend’s performance.
“The courses [for ski cross and snowboard cross] are quite similar,” she said.
“The start section and finish section is basically the same, we just have a deviation in the course that takes us a bit further around because in ski cross our speeds do get a bit higher, and we don’t need the banks like the snowboarders do.
“But yeah, the snowboarders, especially with the start section, they’ve been a big help with letting me know how the features have been running, what changes they’ve made to the courses which could affect us.
“But also watching them race the other day was amazing and so thrilling — I was in tears when I saw Josie come down.
“But it was also just great to understand the track better and realise what I’m going to be competing on.
“I’m very excited to get out there tomorrow.”
